Requiem: Eternal Cycle
by Asha3
Summary: AU. InuKag. Amor es miseria, Love is a misery. Kagome really believed that. But Fate had decided to play a twisted ploy. She met him, once again, and her world shook. Death and Reincarnation is just a cruel joke.


_Disclaimer: _Last time I checked, Inuyasha and all related characters still belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I tried to get Santa to give him to me on christmas, but I got the soundtrack instead...

* * *

_Steel is strong, but Fire can melt it down_

_Fire is strong, but Water can put it out_

_Water is strong, but the Sun can make it vaporized_

_The Sun is strong, but Clouds can force it to hide_

_The Clouds are strong, but the Wind can blow them away_

_The Wind is strong, but Man build walls to block them_

_Man are strong, but Fear make them weak_

_Fear is strong_, but Sleep can chase it away

_Sleep is strong, but Death can overcome it_

_... but the strongest is Love_

_it will not fade, even after Death._

(The Ten Strength--Anonymous)

* * *

**Requiem: Eternal Cycle**

**Chapter 1 **

**Into Divine Sleep**

* * *

The forest was almost too quiet, if not for the continuous chirping of the birds and occasional rustle of leaves. A rabbit cautiously crept out of a hole. It stood quietly, ears rigid and alert on the top of its head, ready to scurry back into the nest with the slightest suspicious noise. Satisfied that no danger was lurking around, it braced its leg and prepared for a jump. 

Its feet had barely left the ground before something really large and heavy suddenly pinned it to the ground, it squeaked furiously in protest. A flash of red later, and the rabbit knew no more.

"Keh," the attacker snorted before sheathing his short blade and threw his prey over his shoulder into a bamboo pack. Inside the pack were some lifeless birds and a couple of raccoon that had predeceased the unlucky rabbit.

The hunter straightened up, long black hair swishing slightly as he moved. He was fairly young, barely over thirteen winters old. The boy studied his surroundings carefully with his deep violet eyes.

Sensing no predator that would do the same thing he had just done, the boy relaxed a little. A satisfied smile tugged the corner of his lips. He had been hunting since the morning, and it was time to go back to the house.

The journey back was smooth and uneventful; in his previous hunts, he had been attacked by predators more than once. The boy could not be more grateful. He was very late. His foster father would definitely kill him. The man was a light-handed man; he would strike children without the slightest second thought.

A voice in his head protested that no matter what he did, his father would always beat him up to bloody pulp. The boy shook his head furiously. They are his family, he should not complain about them. He was grateful that they had taken care of him, despite of how much his existence ruin their family's reputation.

He had realized long ago that he was an eyesore in the villagers' eyes. For a long time, he had suffered for not knowing why. He assumed that was because he was not a real member of his family. He had been given to his foster family as a baby and they took care of his needs since then. A soldier or two used to come over to their house and gave money to his foster parents.

All sorts of gossip had flown around, but the boy learned to ignore them. He convinced himself that the gossips were lies, that the villagers would not know the truth better than he did. His foster family had cursed him for their family's reputation, but they never mistreated him… until suddenly the Daimyo stop giving them money.

Nevertheless, he now knew why. The truth had found itself to him when he was ten years old. It had been the second year that this family stopped receiving money from the castle. In a drunken state, his foster father had abruptly yelled the story to him, the entire truth. Inuyasha had never known that village gossip could be so right.

The forest got thinner, and before long the boy arrived at the edge of his village. He could see the wooden huts already. His village was very poor; it did not even have a name. Most of the families there make a living by growing corps, but the rainy seasons on the west side of Yamatori was always terrible. Their effort was always unprofitable; the money they earned was never enough cover their daily expenses.

The boy had always wondered why the villagers had not tried something new, but he never told anyone of his thought. It's not like they would care about anything he had to say.

"Inuyasha!"

His mood instantly perked up at the voice shouting out his name. He turned his head to the right was greeted with the sight of a petite black-haired girl running towards him in full speed. A grin appeared on his rugged face. "Kagome…," he murmured fondly.

The girl stumble a couple of times, but she was able to catch herself before kissing the earth. She stopped a couple of steps near him, her heart-shaped face bright in a wide smile, her blue-grey eyes twinkling with mirth. She was a very thin girl, wearing a tri-layered _yukata_ that had been mended and patched too many times to count. But Inuyasha did not care. To him, Kagome is probably the only source of happiness in this place, his best friend.

The voice in his head argued again that he liked her too much to be just friends, but Inuyasha crushed down that thought.

"If you keep running like that, you'll fall face first to the ground," he teased.

The girl's smile widened, "Nice to see you, too, Inuyasha." She eyed his full bamboo-pack and frowned. "You went hunting again, didn't you? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Inuyasha sighed. He knew Kagome never liked the way his family was treating him. She especially loathed the tasks given to him. The forest was dangerous; hunting was supposed to be the job for a fully-capable man, not for a skinny thirteen-year-old boy.

The girl studied him with narrowed eyes, checking for injuries. Thankfully he had none, just a bit of scratch on his knees. The wound was covered in dirt, so it was not too visible. As much as he enjoyed Kagome taking care of him, he did not like the way she would silently sneak disapproving glances towards his house. He knew his father was a drunken-jerk, but Inuyasha still made it his personal goal to please the man.

Satisfied with her inspection, the girl smiled again. "So… you want to play?"

Inuyasha's heart sink, "I can't, Kagome, Jizo-_san_ still has some things for me to do." Jizo was his foster father. The man never allowed Inuyasha to call him father.

Her smile was wiped out almost instantly, "Oh, I see…"

Not liking her sadness, Inuyasha quickly excused himself. "I better get going; I'm already late as it is." He walked past her and towards the village.

"Wait! Inuyasha!"

He turned back to her and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Be-," she started but shied away. Shuffling her bony feet, the petite girl avoided his eyes and stared at the ground instead. "Just… be careful, okay?"

Inuyasha's first thought was anger, but then he realized that his friend was just worrying about him. Fighting to keep softness off his face, he poke the girl's forehead hard, "_You_, be careful!"

"Ow!" Kagome squeaked in surprise, hands covering her abused temple. She gave the boy a piercing glare, all trace of shyness gone.

Inuyasha chuckled and ruffled her hair fondly in an older-brotherly manner.

That pissed the girl more for some reason, "Mou! Inuyasha, I'm not a kid!"

The boy grinned more, hands still on the girl's head. "You sure? You could have fooled me with that height of yours."

Kagome gave him a death glare, "Ooo, you brute! I'm older than you!" She strived strongly to get rid of his hand, with no avails.

"Sure you are," replied the boy nonchalantly, finally removing his hand.

"Inuyasha!"

"Kagome."

The girl let out a violent growl that received raised eyebrows from Inuyasha.

She stomped away without looking back; apparently had enough of his teasing.

Inuyasha snorted. Kagome never fail to amuse him, which was part the reason why he liked to tease her so much. The joy in him did not last long as he remembered he was supposed to hurry home. The boy repositioned his pack and resumed walking.

His 'mother' was in front of the door by the time he arrived at their cragged house, a fierce expression on her face. She hissed at the sight of him, "Where have you been, boy! Quick, drag your pathetic ass over here!"

Inuyasha broke into a small sprint. When he was within her range, the woman yanked his pack harshly while continued to scold him.

"Can you not even do something right? You go hunting everyday! One would have expected you to master it sooner!"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to defend himself, but all that got out of his mouth was an apology. He hated himself for it.

The woman did not even stop talking to listen. She took a sniff and scrunched her nose in annoyance. "At least you did not smell too bad this time. We have a guest, go in there, and make sure you put up a good impression!"

Inuyasha looked at his mother in confusion. Usually his 'parents' ushered him away if a guest was in the house.

_'Maybe they had finally accepted me,'_ he thought hopefully. The voice in his head snorted sarcastically, but Inuyasha ignored it once again.

The boy dusted his clothes in front of the door, in a futile act of smoothing the fabric. His outfit was dirty and wrinkly, the result of much strolling on the forest ground.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go in!" barked his mother while she shouldered his pack.

With shaky hands, Inuyasha pushed the door open, half expecting the Daimyo to be inside.

His father was sitting on the dining table with two black cloaked men. For once, Jizo was somber. He even wore his best clothes; his face was decorated with a fake smile. Frankly, Inuyasha was surprised to see his father in such presentable appearance.

The boy opened his mouth to greet the guests, but one of the men suddenly stood and went to him. The tall, but awfully thin man peered down to Inuyasha with an inspecting glare. "Is this the boy?" he asked with croaked voice.

Jizo was still smiling. "Yes, this is Inuyasha."

With a surprising strength, the thin man yanked one of Inuyasha's hands upwards. He twirled the arm, and suddenly let it go. Then his hand went to the boy's chin and turned it left and right. And just like that, the man released him and turned back to his father.

"A bit rugged, but the boy had muscles," the thin man commented while returned to his seat by the dining table.

Jizo rose up his hand, as if to stop the man from speaking further. His father turned to him, "You're done, Inuyasha. Go back to your chores."

Inuyasha blinked, astounded. That was it? After the long lectures of giving his best impression, he was dismissed now?

The boy recovered quickly. "Yes, Jizo-san," he replied with a slight bow. He bid the men respectful farewell and exit house.

As he continued his chores that consisted of skinning the rabbits and birds, he wondered about the men in black. They might be from the castle. He had heard that there was a revolt against the Daimyo, and the castle was recruiting young soldiers. They might have come to recruit him, or at least to be a warehouse-assistant.

As the train of thoughts kept going on his head, the boy could feel the smile grew on his face. Being recruited into the castle would surely bring money and respect back to his house. But most importantly, the villagers would not be able to talk behind his back anymore. He could not wait to tell Kagome. Finally he would be worthy of her friendship.

As he went to bed that night, tired and spent from heavy work, the smile was still on his face. Had he knew that the Fate hand brought a much different future for him, he probably would not be as happy.

xxx

The night was unusually cold and quite. The only sound that could be heard was the rustle of leaves in the distance. There were no insects at that time of the year - the cold had killed them all months before. The sky was clear, revealing a bright, pale full moon.

To Inuyasha, sleep had only been a flash; he did not remember falling asleep at all. For a while he wondered why the window was opened, but instantly stopped as he saw the figure leaning over his windowsill. His eyes widen in recognition, "Kago-."

Kagome brought her index finger to her to her lips and hushed him silent.

Confused, Inuyasha frowned at the girl. "What are you doing?" he mouthed, "It's dangerous!"

Kagome shook her head. "Inuyasha, we have to get out of here. Fast!" she spoke with a hushed tone, as if not to wake the dead.

"What? What happened? What did your uncle do to you?" he hissed in anger and worry. He stood, and slipped into his slippers. He approached the girl and tried to pull her into the room. However, Kagome wouldn't budge and shook her head.

Tears now prickled in her eyes, and she spoke with urgency, "No, no, it's not him. Inuyasha, please, we have to go! Your parents, they-!"

The door was suddenly opened to reveal Jizo, "Inuyasha, you ungrateful-!" At the sight of the girl, his foster father's expression quickly filled with fury. "What is the meaning of this?!" he bellowed.

Kagome was now tugging his sleeve furiously. "Inuyasha, please!!!" she whispered shakily.

Inuyasha was sure that his father would kill him. But one glance into the girl's frightful eyes was all it took for him to instantly grasp her hand and jumped over the window. Before he knew it, the two of them were running as fast as they could. His father was yelling at the background, but they lost him as they entered the forest. Not even a fully capable adult dare to enter the forest at night. Who knew what beasts ruled the shadows in the sea of trees.

They kept running, Inuyasha in lead, as he knew the forest better. They ran and ran, even when their lungs were burning and their hearts felt like exploding. Kagome suddenly tripped and fell. Her hand tugged hard on his and Inuyasha fell backwards, his legs lost all power.

In the dead of the dark forest, the two children laid on earth. Inuyasha was on his back, breathing hard to the crisp winter air. He had meat to ask whether she was okay, but he could not even breathe right. Kagome was facing down, curling in a tight ball. She started choking, tears streaming down her face.

After what seemed to be an eternity, their breath finally calmed down. Inuyasha sat up, groaning in protest from his sore muscles. "Kagome… what happened? What are you afraid of?"

The girl looked up to him, she had stopped crying and Inuyasha was relieved. "Inuyasha," she swallowed, as if to get rid something painful down her throat. "Your parents… they've sold you!"

His eyes widen, "What?" To say he was surprised was an understatement. "Kagome, what-?"

Kagome cast her eyes to the ground shamefully, "Those men in black…" she stopped, unable to continue.

"You saw them?" Inuyasha started. "Don't worry, even if they're a bit scary, I think they're form the castle."

Kagome gave a miserable sob and shook her head furiously. "No, Inuyasha… they're slave traders!"

If he had been surprised before, he was now more than just that. "Kagome," he breathed. He could not believe it. "Kagome, you've got to be wrong. They can't… Jizo-san and mother, they couldn't have!"

"No, Inuyasha."

He stood up, angry. "You lie! You think this is funny?!"

The girl started crying again, "No! Inuyasha, I'm not lying! Please… please believe me!"

Inuyasha believed her. But he did not want to. He wanted to prove her wrong. "Let's go back!" he pulled her arm hard.

Kagome pulled his hand back, "No!! You can't!"

He pulled again, harder, "Stand up, Kagome! I'll prove you wrong!"

Kagome shook her head; her small hands were clenching the fabric of his trousers. "Inuyasha, we can't go back. Please… I'll explain it to you."

Inuyasha did not want her to explain. Deep down, he knew that Kagome would not lie about something like that. Deep down, he was sure, that if she were to explain, it would be the plain truth.

Kagome looked at him, and all his efforts shattered right away. He sat back down, head bowed. "I can't believe this," he breathed in defeat.

The girl put a hand around him, "Inuyasha, I'm sorry…."

"I don't need your pity!" he snapped, pulling away from her embrace.

Kagome stared to his back sadly. "I know," she whispered. "Those men in black, they came to my house last year… and the next day, my sister is gone."

He turned back to her, clearly did not expect that. "What? But everyone told me she died of sickness."

Kagome shook her head; she seemed to be doing that a lot, as if she did not want to believe her own words. "Inuyasha, think about it… can a disease make you disappear?"

His eyes widen in realization.

They were silent for a couple of moments, busy with their own thoughts. Kagome suddenly sneeze. It was then Inuyasha realized that he was freezing cold. "Hey, don't get sick," he spoke up, "we still have a long way to go, its miles away before the next town."

Kagome looked at him and smile sadly, "You're cold too."

"I'm a boy, you're a girl," he spoke as-a-matter-of-factly.

"I'm well dressed, you're in your pajamas," she retorted. She shrugged off her back-pack and started rummaging through the contents. It was the first time Inuyasha realized that she had it.

She gave him a jacket and two pair socks, all of them were oversized. He knew by the tobacco scent that they must have belonged to her uncle. "I can't bring much with me; a heavy bag will trouble our escape. I've only brought that jacket, couple of socks, some food and water…." She continued rambling about what she had and why she had brought them, but Inuyasha was more interested with something else.

Realization came down upon him like a lightning. She was prepared, exactly like she had said, and possibly more. She did not just plan to sneak him out of the house. She was prepared to go with him. The girl was willing to steal, kidnap, and cast aside her future for him. She had much brighter prospect and better family reputation than him; a bastard's son.

He looked down at her, confused... hopeful. "Why are you doing this?"

The girl stopped her ramble and looked up to him, millionth of expression dancing in her blue-gray orbs.

_Had her eyes always this expressive? _And just like that, he had decided. He decided to leave his all regrets behind. He will start fresh. A new life. Free of dangerous chores, free of disappointment. Free of somebody to please. Just himself... and Kagome. Inuyasha liked that thought very much. _Just forget..._

"Kagome," his throat tightened with emotion, "I'll take care of you. I promise. I'll never leave you, I'll protect you."

_I'll die for you…. _

He should be embarrassed for saying such sentimental things, but this is Kagome, he meant every word of what he had just said.

She looked surprised, but then gave him a bright smile that tugged something in his chest.

"I know you will, Inuyasha," she replied genuinely.

She knew. She believed him.

xxx

They had slowed their pace after that. Instead of running like they had Hel on their tails, they were just walking with constant pace. Inuyasha thought that they better saved whatever stamina they had left because the journey was still long.

They encountered several night residence of the forest, so their trip was not as smooth as he would have liked. It helped that Inuyasha had made enough hunting trips to know what to do if it came down to a life and death situation; even though it was dark, and he had somebody to protect. Kagome was surprisingly reliable in those desperate situations. She did not panic to the point of beyond logic and always do what he told her to do, she even helped pointed out more effective escape route in few encounters.

The journey was long, and Inuyasha was more than happy when the trees finally thinned and he noticed the change of air around them. Something sweet-smelling drifted with the wind and greeted their face. There was a new sound as well. It started a deep rumble, but as they neared the end of the forest more, it became louder, almost deafening. _A waterfall? _

Apparently, Kagome was as thrilled as he. She released his hand that she had been holding the whole time and dashed towards the end of the forest. He smiled at her secretly.

"Oh, Inuyasha! Look at this!" she squealed excitedly.

He quickened his pace, and saw a clearing. He was shocked with the sight he was greeted. He had been right. It was a waterfall, but what he did not considered was it was the most beautiful (yes, he said beautiful) sight he had ever seen. He had never seen a waterfall before, but even then he was sure that this would be the best thing he'll ever see in his life.

The water sparkled like diamonds; the clear sky supported the silver moon to lighten the valley; snow-white flowers carpeted the area around the stream.

"It's… so divine," Kagome breathed.

Inuyasha could not agree more.

"Do you think," Kagome ran over to the white flowers and twirled around. "Do you think this might be… heaven?"

The sentence rang cold and sharp in his head. "Don't say such things," he hissed, "It brings bad luck!"

She giggled. "Oh, I'm sorry…." She had said it meaningfully, but the smile did not slip from her face. She kneeled down and tasted the water. "Mmm! Inuyasha, the water is so good! You should try!"

He sigh and was about to came over when a sudden rustling from behind alerted his senses. He jumped forward and turned to face the intruder.

He barely had time to react as something sharp flew towards him and embed itself deeply into his right arm. He cried in pain and surprise.

"I have to say that it's quite a surprise that you kids were able to travel this far," a dark chuckle brought his attention back to the attacker.

He was the tall man from before, but something was different about him. His pupils are glowing in yellow-green, that those of cats. When he extended his arm, Inuyasha realized that his nails were sharp and crooked.

_What… what is he? _

Inuyasha resisted the urge to voice that thought and spoke to Kagome instead, "Kagome, run! I'll hold him off!"

"No!" was the girl's horrified answer.

"I won't let you do that." As soon as the man finished speaking, he disappeared and suddenly re-appeared behind Kagome.

_NO! _

"Inuyasha!!" she cried desperately, but a clawed hand suddenly clamped down her mouth.

Inuyasha swore his blood had frozen over. "Let, let go of Kagome!"

The man chuckled, "Kagome, huh? Is that your name, sweetie?" he raised his other hand to caress the girl's midnight locks.

Something in Inuyasha's heart had just burned when he saw what the man was doing. "If you hurt her," he spoke with a new icy tone, "I'll kill you."

The man laughed menacingly. "Can you do that, Inuyasha-_sama_?"

The boy's eyes widen.

The man, no, demon, laughed even more at his startled expression. "You'd think I don't know?"

Turning back to the girl in his arms, the man continue to spoke, this time lusciously, "And this girl… this girl is also special, aren't you, my little?" He trailed his claws down her cheek, grazing it a little, enough to draw a thin layer of blood.

Kagome did not cry, but bit the palm that was covering her mouth. Hard.

The _youkai_ yelped. "You little bitch!" he slapped Kagome hard on her bloody cheek, knocking the girl to the ground.

Inuyasha swore he saw red. He lunged towards the adult without second thoughts.

The youkai received the attack all too well; launching several sets of punch to the young boy; five to the face, three to the stomach. He twirled an arm around, a put knee onto the back, and then, a hard push.

There was a horrible popping sound. For several moments, pain was all Inuyasha can think or feel. He could not help but scream in agony. The demon released him, and he withered on the ground.

"You like that, _Oou-sama_?" the demon mocked. "Not so strong now, are you?"

Before Inuyasha could do anything, he was kneed on the stomach and pinned to the ground, under the demon's foot. The foot rise, and stomped back on him with brute force. Inuyasha opened his mouth to shout, but instead, he was eating earth.

"Get off him!" Kagome cried angrily. She rushed to the demon, but the adult gripped her neck firmly. Her small hands were beating him, but they barely did any good.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you?" the youkai asked sarcastically. His hand tightened, and soon Kagome was choking.

The thought of Kagome dying, had Inuyasha forgot about his pain. He curled his legs and kicked the demon on the one leg that was balancing on the ground. The Demon stumbled over and released Kagome.

"RUN!" Inuyasha shouted, ignoring the breath-taking weight that had just crushed upon him.

Kagome looked at him in the eyes and he realized that she would not leave without him.

"You brats!" the demon growled. "This Goshinki have not the time to play with you!" He quickly stood up, grabbed Kagome by the front of her dress and threw her towards the forest. She hit a tree trunk and fell; she did not get up after that.

"KAGOMEE!!!!"

The demon laughed, and kicked Inuyasha on the stomach so he rolled on the ground several feet away. "Worry about your self more than that little girlfriend of yours!"

Inuyasha's eyes were blurry; there was a metallic taste in his mouth. Jizo-san had beaten him enough for the boy to realize that he was coughing up blood. He tried to get up, but suddenly the demon was before him and pulled his head up by his hair. The boy's mouth was open in silent scream.

Goshinki drew his face closer to him. Inuyasha realized that the face had turned inhumanly purple. "Beg," the demon demanded, "Beg for your life, and I'll spare you."

"You killed Kagome," Inuyasha spit to the ugly face head on. "I'll kill you."

The demon roared in fury. A blinding pain later, Inuyasha felt something went through his stomach and then it was gone. He felt his body dropped to the ground, but he could not feel anything except pain. The pain overclouded his senses.

"Pity," said Goshinki, not sounding the slightest bit regretful. "I planned to sell you on an auction, but it seemed that you'll be joining a different society in the after life."

"I'll kill you…," Inuyasha gritted through his teeth. His visions turned all red. He could feel it; the blood. He could feel it calling him. He needed it. He will kill Goshinki.

"No. That hole in your stomach is enough prove." The demon laugh brutally, "You're dead. You'll be as dead as your girlfriend over there."

The red intensified. The voice in his head turned murderous. Kill.

"You know what's more pity that killing you?" the demon mocked as he watched life escaping the boy in a form of red liquid. "I plan to keep her to my self. She was quite pretty for her age. I'll teach her how to please men…."

Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

"Then, when she was old enough, and I'm bored of her, I'll sell her to the brothel in Edo."

That was the last straw.

A flash of red and Goshinki could feel something embed itself into his chest. Gasping in pain and shock, he looked down and saw a hand. His head instantly snapped to the owner. "Wha-?" Goshinki's eyes widen.

White hair. Red eyes. Aqua pupils.

"Not so powerful are you now, _jiji_?" Inuyasha smirked in satisfaction. He could smell the blood. He could feel it. He wanted more. His hand moved to the right, tearing the flesh that was in the way. He found it; the beating, bloody organ.

In final act of desperation, Goshinki clawed at the full-demon before him. He inflicted many wounds, layers upon layers, but the boy did not even seem to feel any of it.

"I told you, I'll kill you," Inuyasha's aura flared viciously as he took the bloody heart in his claws.

Goshinki was coughing up blood at this point. He was going to die either way.

"Die," said Inuyasha, in a dark chuckle. A crush, and Goshinki knew no more.

Inuyasha pulled his bloodied hand out. An empty feeling filled his soul. He did not understand. Something was missing.

Kagome.

The boy-turned-demon walked unsteadily towards the fallen girl; his body was loosing strength. "Kagome," he called hoarsely as he fell facedown. His vision cleared, and his aura slowly faded. The voice in his head stopped. He was numb. Soon, his appearance turned back into a skinny, black-haired, human boy.

"Inu… yasha."

The boy looked up. Kagome was crawling to him; tears welled up in her eyes. She moved on her hands and knees. Slowly, accompanied with hisses of pain; she was able to reach him.

"Inuyasha," she spoke weakly. "Inuyasha, no… no… please be okay."

"Ka-," he coughed violently, spilling blood over her white dress. "Kagome… what have I… done?"

With surprising strength and gentleness, the girl gathered him to her embrace. "Shh," she whispered, "its okay, you'll be all right…."

"I killed…."

"Shhh… don't talk. Save your strength, we still gave miles to go, remember?"

"Kagome… he have a friend," the boy suddenly realized in his half-conscious state.

"I know. They came to my house, too."

His eye widened, "They… did?"

"Shh, it's not important. Don't talk Inuyasha. Save your strength."

"I… wanted to protect you…"

"I know."

"I… killed."

"Inuyasha, don't talk."

"They never loved me…," he was not making sense. Memories flashed through his mind. They said when one was dying; they can see their life flashing in their eyes.

"Inuyasha… please… please don't… please."

"I'm dying…"

"NO! Inuyasha, please… you're not…."

"I tried… to please them… so much…. It's never… enough."

"No, Inuyasha… They may not care for you, but I do! Please!"

He smiled fondly, raising his hand to her bloody cheek. "I'm glad… we met… but… many… memories… painful…."

"Inuyasha…. Please…."

"Hey... if we die… do you think… we'll be reborn?"

"NO!! Please… please don't do this!" she grabbed the hand on her face in desperation.

"I… just want to forget… start a new... you know?" his bloody lips trembled slightly in attempt to smile. _With you... _

_Forget? _Her eyes winded in shock. _Forget what? The pain? His parents? ...Me? _

"Just... forget…." He sighed contently, eyes closed. His hand in hers suddenly went limp.

"Inuyasha! No! Don't leave me! Please!!!"

But the boy was unresponsive.

"Inuyasha… please don't…," Kagome clenched his hands. She smoothed his hair, sobbing brokenly. "Don't leave me... Don't forget me... Don't..."

Kagome shook his shoulder, first gently, then firmly. "Please… Inuyasha…. Answer me, please…."

He stayed silent, unmoving. His body went colder. His face blued.

The girl bend over, whispering in his ears, "Wake up… Inuyasha, wake up…."

"Please Inuyasha…."

"Please…."

_Please. _

_xxx_

The _Cave__ of Oblivion_ had a new resident that night; a beautiful red crystal born from a drop of the _Hollow Stalagmite_.

Caretaker Toutosai watched as the metallic liquid harden, crystallized, and developed to at least ten feet tall. Its aura pulsed brightly, as if challenging the rest of _Unterwelt_ with its existence. The old demon could barely contain his excitement. The Hollow Stalagmite had not given birth to red crystal in over five hundred years.

The centre of the crystal kept condensing, forming a figure. A noble demon, Toutosai noted as he recognized the long white hair. The demon child inside the crystal was sleeping, with a frown on his young face. Toutosai silently wondered what had happened to the noble soul during its journey through the layer of _Mittleheim_. However, whatever suffering it had experienced, it was now safe within the cocoon of oblivion. Soon, the boy would forget everything and started a new life.

The old caretaker smiled expectantly and put a hand on the scarlet jewel. He caressed it fondly, as if trying to shoot the boy's trouble.

"Welcome home, Inuyasha-sama…."

* * *

To be Continued…?

* * *

**xxx Glossary xxx **

Daimyo : (_daimyō) _Feudal lord in Japan.

Yukata : A cotton kimono.

-san : added after a name as a gesture of respect.

-sama : Added after a name of a noble society.

Youkai : _(Y__ōkai) _ Demon.

Oou-sama : A title given to a son of a king.

* * *

**xxx Places xxx **

**Hel**

The realm beneath the world, where ghost and evil spirits resides. It shares the same name as its Queen.

**Cave of Oblivion**

A cave in the uppermost level of Underworld, where demon souls was born.

**Hollow Stalagmite**

Its origin remained unknown. A giant stalagmite that give birth to demon souls. The color of the crystal determined the newborn's status in society.

**Unterwelt**

Underworld. Home of the demons. The lowest layer of the world.

**Mittleheim**

Middle-home. Home of mortals. Located above the Unterwelt.

* * *

**xxx AN xxx**

(1) This story, especially this chapter is inspired by many things, but mostly from a game by Tri-Ace. You know which game I'm talking about.

(2) This story does not have a beta reader! I'm sorry if there's errors.

(3) REVEIW! Polite critiques are gladly welcomed... no flames! If you don't like it, feel free to leave.


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